Marionette figure assembly



Nov. 18, 1958 D. F. WILLIAMS MARIONETTE FIGURE ASSEMBLY 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 1, 1957 INVENTOR. DOEOTIIY F. WILLIAMS,

ATTOENEYS.

Nov. 18, 1958 D. F. WILLIAMS 2,860,446

MARIONETTE FIGURE ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1N VEN TOR.

002076 Y 1-. WILL IAMS,

United States Patent "cc MARIONETTE FIGURE ASSEMBLY Dorothy F. Williams, Independence, Mo.

Application February 1, 1957, Serial No. 637,781

3 Claims. (Cl. 46--126) The present invention relates to a marionette figure assembly.

An object of the present invention is to provide a marionette figure assembly which lends itself to easy manipulation in lifelike movements.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a marionette figureassembly having a control simple in operation and one which lends itself to entertaining play by children.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a marionette figure assembly which is sturdy in construction, one economically feasible, and one which lends itself to ready packaging and storage with the marionette figure in an erect and lifelike position.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will be fully apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the annexed drawings, in which: I

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the marionette figure assembly in a position of use, showing the arms of the figure in partially raised position;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the assembly'shown in Figure 1, showing the figure in the position for packaging in a transparent container, the container being indicated by dotted lines;

Figure 3 is a top plan view with the control disc;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the control disc; and

Figure 6 is a partial back view of the figure, showing the point of attachment of one of the suspension cords to the back of the figure.

Referring in greater detail to the drawings in which like numerals indicate like parts throughout the several views, the marionette figure assembly according to the present invention comprises a marionette figure indicated generally by the reference numeral 10 including a body 11 having spaced shoulders 12 and 13, the body having a movable head 14 projecting from the body 11 intermediate the shoulders 12 and 13.

A pair of jointed arms 15 and 16 are'positioned adjacent to and carried by the shoulders 12 and 13, respectively. A pair of jointed legs 17 and 18 are positioned on each side of the body 11 and are dependingly carried by the body 11. A pair of actuated cords 19 and 21 have one end attached to each of a pair of opposed points on the head 14 and have their other ends extending through a horizontally disposed disc 22. The ends of the cords 19 and 21 where they extend through the disc 22 are knotted so that they are dependingly secured to the disc 22. The point of attachment of the cords 19 and 21 to the disc 22 is at opposite ends of a line extending diametrically across the disc 22 between opposed points.

The shoulders 12 and 13 of the figure 10 are attached to one end of cords 23 and 24, respectively, the upper ends of which are dependingly secured, in the same manner as cords 19 and 21, to the disc 22 at spaced Patented Nov. 18, 1958 points along the line extending between the point of securement of the cords 19 and 21.

A horizontally disposed bar 25 is positioned above the disc 22 on one side of and extends parallel to the line which connects the point of securement of the upper ends of the cords 19, 21, 23, 24. The bar 25 normally rests upon the upper surface of the disc 22. A pair of actuating cords 26 and 27 have their one ends attached to the legs 17 and 18, respectively, and have their other ends extending through the disc 22 and through the bar 25 adjacent the ends of the bar 25, a hand actuable means, embodying a ring 28, as secured to the upper ends of each of the cords 26 and 27 and normally rests upon the upper surface of the bar 25.

Another pair of actuating cords 29 and 31 have their lower ends attached to the wrist portions of the arms 15 and 16, respectively, and have their upper ends extending through a single aperture provided in the portion of the disc 22 intermediate the ends of the bar 25 and on the side of the bar 25 remote from the line which extends between the point of securement of the upper ends of the cords 19, 21, 23 and 24. Other hand actuable means constituting rings 28 are secured to the upper ends of each of the cords 29 and 31, the rings 28 normally resting upon the upper surface of the disc 22.

Another cord 32 has its lower end secured to the body 11 adjacent the point of attachment of the legs 17 and 18 (Fig. 6) and has its upper end extending through the disc 22 and provided with a ring 28, the upper end portion of the cord 32 extending through an aperture provided in the disc 22 on the side of the aforesaid line remote from the bar 25 and diametrically opposed to the aperture through which extends the upper end portion of each of the cords 29 and 31.

A holding element, embodying a strap 33, extends across the upper base of the disc 22 parallel to and spaced from the bar 25 on the side of the bar adjacent the aforesaid line for accommodation of a hand of the user, the ends of the strap 33 being fixedly secured to the upper base of the disc 22.

A rigid arm 34 has one end connected by a hinge 35 4 to the underface of the disc 22 and a spring 35 biases the arm 34 to the position in which it lies flat against the underface of the disc 22.

The disc 22 is provided with other apertures 37 for the insertion therethrough of other cords when it is desired to attach to such cords marionette figures having other parts or attached elements such as skates or the like.

In use, the hand of a user may be inserted under the strap 33 with a finger received in any one of the rings 28 for manipulating any of the actuated cords in an upwardly moving direction, as shown in Figure 1, with reference to the cords 29 and 31 which cause the arms 15 and 16, respectively, to move upwardly. Similarly each of the legs 17 and 18 may be moved in movements to simulate the movements of a human being and tilting of the disc 22 from one side to the other will result in lifelike movements of the head 14 and the shoulders 12 and 13. Pulling upwardly on the actuating cord 32 while tilting the disc 22 forwardly will result in holding the marionette figure 10 in such a position as it will appear to bow forwardly and raising of the bar 25, in a level position, will result in the raising of the legs 17 and 1S simultaneously in a movement simulating the jumping movement of a human being.

The disc 22, as shown in Figure 2, may be used to close the upper end of a transparent container, the container being shown in dotted lines and indicated by the reference numeral 38. The marionette figure 10 is maintained in the upwardly extending direction within the container 38 by winding of the intermediate portions of all of the actuating cords about the arm 34 and permit- 3 ting the arm 34 to resume its normal position flat against the underside of the disc 22. This will keep the actuating cords from being entangled and will, as well, provide a neat and attractive appearance for the display of the marionette figure 10. It is intended that the rings 28 may be fabricated of material in several colors for the ready identification of the ring associated with each of the arms and with each of the legs, such colors being chosen as desired.

What is claimed is:

1. In a marionette figure assembly, the combination with a marionette figure including a body having spaced shoulders, a movable head projecting from said body intermediate said shoulders, a jointed arm positioned adjacent to and carried by each of said shoulders, a jointed leg positioned on each side of said body and dependingly carried by said body, and an actuating cord having one end attached to each of a pair of oppo'sedpoints of said head, to each of said shoulders, to each of said arms, and to each of said legs, a horizontally disposed disc positioned in superimposed spaced relation with respect to said figure head, the other end of each of the head-attached cords being dependingly secured to said disc at diametrically opposed points with the other end of each of said shoulder-attached cords being dependingly secured to said disc at spaced points lying along a line extending between said diametrically opposed points, a bar positioned above said disc on one side of and extending parallel to said line and normally resting upon said disc, the portion adjacent the other end of each of said legattached cords extending slidably through said disc and said bar adjacent the ends of the latter, hand actuable means attached to said other end of each of said legattached cords and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said bar, the portion adjacent the other end of each of said arm-attached cords extending slidably through the portion of said disc on the side of said bar remote from said line, other hand actuable means attached to said other end of each of said arm-attached cords and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said disc, and a holding element extending across said disc parallel to and spaced from said bar on the side of said bar adjacent said line for accommodation of the hand of a user.

2. In a marionette figure assembly, the combination with a marionette figure including a body having spaced shoulders, a movable head projecting from said body intermediate said shoulders, a jointed arm positioned adjacent to and carried by each of said shoulders, a jointed leg positioned on each side of said body and dependingly carried by said body, and an actuating cord having one end attached to each of a pair of opposed points of said head, to each of said shoulders, to each of said arms, to each of said legs, and to said body at a point above the point of securement of said legs, a horizontally disposed disc positioned in superimposed spaced relation with respect to said figure head, the other end of each of the head-attached cords being dependingly secured to said disc at diametrically opposed points with the other end of each of said shoulder-attached cords being dependingly secured to said disc at spaced points lying along a line extending between said diametrically opposed points, a

bar positioned above said disc on one side of and extending parallel to said line and normally resting upon said disc, the portion adjacent the other end of each of said leg-attached cords extending slidably through said disc and said bar adjacent the ends of the latter, hand actuable means attached to said other end of each of said leg-attached cords and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said bar, the portion adjacent the other end of each of said arm-attached cords extending slidably through the portion of said disc on the side of said bar remote from said line, other hand actuable means attached to said other end of each of said arm-attached cords and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said disc, the portion adjacent the other end of said bodyattached cord extending slidably through the portion of said disc on the side of said line remote from said bar, and another hand actuable means attached to said bodyattached cord other end and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said disc.

3. In a marionette figure assembly, the combination with a marionette figure including a body having spaced shoulders, a movable head projecting from said body intermediate said shoulders, a jointed arm positioned adjacent to and carried by each of said shoulders, a jointed leg positioned on each side of said body and dependingly carried by said body, and an actuating cord having one end attached to each of a pair of opposed points of said head, to each of said shoulders, to each of said arms, and to each of said legs, a horizontally disposed disc positioned in superimposed spaced relation with respect to said figure head, the other end of each of said head-attached cords being dependingly secured to said disc at diametrically opposed points with the other end of each of said shoulder-attached cords being dependingly secured to said disc at spaced points lying along a line extending between said diametrically opposed points, a bar positioned above said disc on one side of and extending parallel to said line and normally resting upon said disc, the portion adjacent the other end of each of said leg-attached cords extending slidably through said disc and said bar adjacent the ends of the latter, hand actuable means attached to said other end of each of said leg-attached cords and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said bar, the portion adjacent the other end of each of said arm-attached cords extending slidably through the portion of said disc on the side of said bar remote from said line, other hand actuable means attached to said other end of each of said arm-attached cords and loosely engaging the adjacent portion of said disc, each of said hand actuable means embodying a ring of a size to accommodate the finger of a hand of a user, and a holding element extending across said disc parallel to and spaced from said bar on the side of said bar adjacent said line for accommodation of the hand of a user.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,901,707 Dunn et a1. Mar. 14, 1933 2,113,839 Hedges Apr. 12, 1938 2,334,486 Froehlig Nov. 16, 1943 2,509,135 Coplan' May 23, 1950 

